Blackhawk side-slopes take over for crusty submersibles after hot, aging landfill adds gas system
Solution
Blackhawk was no stranger to the landfill. Blackhawk representatives had been calling on the site for several years, offering a low-flow, high-efficiency pump built to withstand the harsh, hot environment.
The patented Blackhawk pump positions the pneumatic motor above and away from the wellhead, far from the leachate. The positive-displacement pumps, unaffected by depth or vacuum, promised to be easily installed and maintained.
Like the electric submersibles, they could be installed as side-slope risers, and had the added attributes of handling high heat, solids and corrosives.
But the engineer was hesitant. "I thought the flow was too low. That was my mindset for years. My thinking was that we needed a higher flow to handle the head. The higher rates of another pump gave me more confidence," the engineer said. "But the high-flow pumps didn’t work! We were reaching a point of diminishing returns with the electric submersibles. They didn’t work well, they crusted up, and there were issues with electricity, including the cost."
Blackhawk suggested a rugged pneumatic powered by compressed air, which would fit onto a well casing of 3 inches or greater, and would remove liquids at a controlled, fully adjustable rate to the bottom of the sump, but would not burn up. The pump also would work well in the side-slope riser applications that the landfill needed. "I just wanted a pump that runs and works," the engineer said. "So we tried Blackhawk."
Result
Blackhawk — right pump, easy installation, less-frequent maintenance